I had the reverse case a few months ago, where the CT showed some ill defined tissue behind the anastomosis, so my surgeon recommended a PET/CT which showed almost no uptake so he wasn't concerned anymore. I suspect a biopsy will be the next step for you. Hi everyone - it has been a long while sinc...

Quick update... I had my 5 year CT scan and colonoscopy this week at Mayo Clinic, and both were clear of everything, no polyps even. My surgeon (who also did this colonoscopy) recommends getting a CT scan for each of the next 2 years even though insurance may not cover it. He recommended another co...

I'd like to start by wishing you and yours peace, prosperity, health & great happiness this joyous holiday season and during the year ahead. I am hoping for your feedback - I had a recent scan (2 weeks ago) that showed no evidence of disease. During the same follow up, my CEA was tested and it c...

thinking of you as you come to terms with this profound loss.

hi - stable means no notable/measurable change from baseline or immediately prior scan. In cancer world, it's a good thing because it means NO GROWTH & NO ADDITIONAL SPREAD. It does not however mean NED or that the previous tumors have died. Hope this helps.

I am not a medic and my situation was different than yours at diagnosis; however, I wanted to share my friends disease trajectory with you as it was similar to yours. She was diagnosed with stage IIa 1.5 years ago. No chemo was recommended and she opted not to seek further treatment beyond the resec...

as a stage III, you'll have a hard time getting insurance coverage and possibly buy-in from your onc for continuing treatment (Xeloda) beyond the standard of care.

Amy - what a great milestone in your journey ... hope you and your family had a great time celebrating reaching this milestone.

I pray that all is well with your thyroid and you continue to enjoy good health alongside your beautiful family.

heartbreaking - she deserved a lot more time on this earth but was so blessed to have touched so many lives and made such an impression during her short stay.

Her family and loved ones are in my thoughts and prayers.

We are our own worst critic ... be gentle with yourself. One can only handle so much before getting bogged down - give yourself a break and know that you're only responsibility is to yourself. Though it's nice to be able to care for one's parents, it's not recommended at your own expense. If you're ...

I was diagnosed in 5/2005 with a liver met. Six treatments of Xeloda/oxaliplatin/Avastin eliminated the met. NED for 3 years until a lung spot showed up in Nov 2008. Removed via VATS in April 2009 - followed up with Xeloda and Avastin. NED since then. Just had a scan this past Tuesday and I'm still...

Thanks, everyone, for your kind feedback and reassurance. Bostonzj, my CEA at diagnosis was 3.5 - not highly elevated despite a solitary liver met. My last scan was done 3 weeks ago - a week before this CEA reading with no significant findings. I was just taken aback by the fluctuation - thanks again.

My CEA has been consistently < 0.5 for three years. I had it tested two weeks ago and it's 0.6 ... I know this is a small increase but since my next check isn't for another 6 weeks, I wonder if I should be concerned? I had an Osteoarthritis of the knee flare up that required an injection to subside ...

I am in SHOCK as surely were you to hear this news ... how ridiculously unfair. There is still a chance that these mediastinal tumors are benign - that can happen and hopefully, that'll be the case for you. The good news (silver lining) is that your onc doesn't seem to think this is metastatic colon...

Colostrum supplements have been around for a long time ... and are often thought to help with the fight against cancer.